Mobile computing devices, such as laptops, smartphones, mobile internet devices (MIDs), and tablets are becoming ubiquitous tools for personal, business, and social uses. Modern mobile computing devices are often equipped with increased processing power and data storage capability to allow such devices to perform advanced processing. For example, many modern computing devices, such as typical “smart phones,” are capable of executing specialized operating systems and associated software applications. Additionally, many modern mobile computing devices are capable of connecting to various data networks, including the Internet and corporate intranets, to retrieve and receive data communications over such networks. As such, an increasing trend among users is to purchase and carry a single “multi-purpose” mobile computing device, which is capable of sending and receiving data between resources located on the Internet and resources located on a secure corporate network. Many times, such mobile computing devices are purchased and maintained by the users themselves, which makes it difficult for businesses to securely provision those devices with the credentials needed to access corporate networks.
To securely provision a personal computing device for access to information on a corporate network, users are often required to first register with a third-party service provider. After registration, users typically download a software application or tool onto their personal computing device, which provides secure access to resources on the corporate network through an infrastructure maintained by the third-party service provider. Oftentimes, the corporate network resources provided through the third-party service are limited in nature.